Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder
by CSINYNut
Summary: What happens when there is another Flack on the NYPD? How will it change relationships within the crimelab?
1. Prologue

I watched as he beat the hell out of my best friend. I watched as he took countless lives without any remorse in his body. I heard about who the one person was that he wanted to take the life from. The only thing that I could do was just sit back and watch.

Until the day came that I had to protect myself. I went from sitting on the sidelines to someone who was about to become a victim. Being dragged from a car into a abondoned warehouse and thrown into a steel wall does some mine numbing damage. I watched as a gun, being pointed in my direction, the safety being taken off, a loud pop and searing pain. I held in a scream as I watched my shooter walk over to someone else. I heard three more pops before I succumed to the darkness that was surrounding me.

The next time I was able to open my eyes, I could hear other voices around me. I heard someone yell that I was alive and barely hanging on. I was loaded into an ambulance. As I was being taken out of the warehouse, I noticed someone standing over looking over the fallen body of my friend. As I was being put into the ambulance the only thing that I was able to get out of my mouth, "Donnie".


	2. Chapter 1

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this...hope some people are interested.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anyone that you may recognize...I only own Julia and misc. random characters and unknowns from the Tanglewood Gang...CBS and Jerry own CSI and the Tanglewood name not me...because if I did...then Danny would never be in any trouble...enough rambling on with the story.

"This here is Joey Hays. Low-man in the Tanglewood Boys." Detective Don Flack Jr. told Detective Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera. "There was another one over there; they are on their way to Trinity right now."

"What's the name?" Mac asked.

"I'm not sure. They were taken before anyone could get close to the body."

"So it looks like Joey pissed off someone within the Tanglewood organization and he took down someone else with him."

As they were discussing things that could have happened, Flack's phone began to ring. "Excuse me. Flack. What? Is she ok? I'll be right there." He turned and looked at Mac and Stella. "I have to go. I know who the other victim is."

"Who?" Stella questioned.

"My sister Julia. I can't believe this."

"What did they tell you?"

"Susie Q needs Johnny Appleseed."

Stella and Mac looked at each other before they turned back to Don, "What does that mean?" Mac asked.

"When we were younger, for some reason we came up with nicknames for each other. When we both got out of the academy, she was automatically picked to go right undercover. I didn't know the extent of where she was undercover. Every once in a while I would hear from her and that's the name that she would use. I never would have guessed that this is where she has been for the last almost four years."

"Go to the hospital. I'll have Danny meet you there so that he can process and take some pictures. Call me later and let me know how she is and also what she was doing within the organization that would have gotten her in this much trouble." Mac commanded.

Don nodded his head and headed out the door of the warehouse. He quickly got into his car and headed straight to the hospital. He pulled into the parking lot and headed inside. He got to the reception area and got out his badge. "I'm Detective Don Flack. I'm here to see my sister, Julia Flack."

"I'm sorry. There's no one here by this name."

"Ok, can you try either Susie Q or Marissa Montoya?"

"I have a Marissa Montoya."

"Can I have her room number?"

"I'm not supposed to give out information unless it's to family, but you have proven to me that you know who this woman is. She's in room 213."

Don took off running to the elevator and headed up into the second floor. As soon as the elevator came to a stop, he once again broke into a run counting the room numbers as he went by them. Finally he came upon room 213. He stopped, caught his breath and looked into the room. There he saw his little sister, lying in a bed with wires sticking out of her arms. He took a deep breathe and slowly opened the door. He took a small step into the room and walked over to the bed. He took her hand in his and sat down. He put his head down and said a silent prayer that she would be alright.

Julie Flack opened her eyes and slowly began to check her surroundings. She could feel someone holding her left hand tightly in theirs. She looked over to see who it was and smiled.

She slowly and quietly took her hand back and ran her fingers through the familiar smooth hair. The head slowly came up and looked her in the eyes.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" Don asked

"I've felt better at worse times. How long have you been here?"

"A couple of hours." There was a soft knock on the door, Don looked over, got up and opened it. He stood quietly talking for a few moments before he let the person in. They both walked over to the bed. "Jules, this is Detective Danny Messer."

Julia let a small smile grow. "The Danny Messer. Well, I'll be damned. I've heard so much shit about you." Danny just stared at her, wondering how she knew who he was. "I've seen that look before. Your brother, Louie, is one of my best friends."

"But he's been in a coma for two months."

"I know. Who do you think called 911? He's the only reason that I am still alive and not lying in the morgue."

"Why?"

"I was undercover within the Tanglewood Boys since I graduated from the academy. Louie somehow figured out who I was, but never ratted me out to Sonny. He had my back every time Sonny accused me of something. Every time someone thought that I was a rat, Louie would make it seem as if it was someone else. He protected me. Sometimes, I realize that maybe it's my fault that he's lying in that hospital bed. I'm sorry Danny, I did everything that I could to make sure nothing bad happened with him knowing who I was, but I guess I couldn't really take out Sonny Sassone by myself."

Danny quickly walked over to beside Julia's bedside and grabbed her hand. "Louie always made sure the people he loved were protected and safe before he worried about himself. Why do you think I'm a cop instead of dead or somewhere within the Tanglewood Boys? He always wanted better for me."

"I could always tell how much he loved you. Every time he would mention your name whenever we were talking, just the two of us. He lighted up. No matter what you think, Danny, Louie did love you."

"I know and it took my awhile to realize that."

Don looked at the two of them and smiled but it quickly turned into a frown. "Hey guys, I hate to cut the reminiscing short but..."

"I know, you want to know what the hell happened to me don't you?" Both men nodded and Julia let out a sigh. She looked down at her covered lap and took a deep breath. "It basically all started after Louie was attacked. I tried my hardest to stay out of sight, do whatever I was told to do, and basically just follow the rules. But all that changed last week."

"What happened?"

"Joey started hanging around me, always making sure that I was where I was suppose to be. I thought at first that Sonny had sent him to watch me, but I finally confronted him about 3 days ago. I asked him what the heck was going on. Apparently, Louie had an incline that something was going to happen to him. I don't know how, he never told me what was going on. So, last night, I overheard Joey and Sonny talking, I guess Sonny felt as if he was being betrayed by everyone within and he was blaming it on me. So he told Joey that he was going to get rid of me for good. I know that I should have tried and contacted someone but I couldn't. Sonny called me this afternoon and told me that he needed to meet with me about some business that was coming up and that he wanted me in on. So I went to the warehouse, I already knew that he was lying to me I just couldn't prove it. I walked in there and saw Joey standing in the corner, where Sonny wouldn't be able to see him. I stood in the middle of the room and waited. I remember two people grabbing my arms and holding me in place, I tried to fight them off, I swear I did everything I could, I swear." Julia put her head in her hands and started to cry. Don walked over to beside her bed and started to rub her back.

"We can stop for now, but Danny needs to process you. If you fought hard there will be evidence, he needs it so that we can get rid of Sonny for good, OK?" Julia nodded and put her hands out in front of Danny and took a deep breathe.

"I promise this won't hurt at all. If at any point you want me to stop just let me know and I will." Julia nodded.

Push the long blue button...you know you want to...also if anyone wants to beta this for me just send me a message.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: read chapter one...I'd like to thank Axellia for being my beta for this story...you are awesome.

Don stood back and let Danny do his job. It broke his heart to learn that Julia knew who Danny was only because his brother was protecting her. He quickly realized that he needed to get back to work so that the person who was causing the pain in his baby sister's eyes needed to be brought to justice. He walked around to the other side of the bed and looked down at her.

"I'm going to go back to the warehouse and catch up with the others. Are you going to be ok here?"

Julia took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think I'll be ok. I'm safe here. I think he thinks that I'm dead so there's nothing to really worry about."

Danny looked between the siblings, "I can stick around for awhile. Maybe we can compare stories about Louie."

"Don't you have to get all your stuff back to the lab?" Don asked

"Alright, so I'll take everything back to the lab and then come back here. If you are so worried about her being alone then why is it such a big deal for me to stick around?"

"I'm not saying it's a big deal. I just don't want you to get into more trouble with Mac. You don't need that."

"I can take care of myself. Don't worry about it. Go and figure out what the hell is going on and I'll deal with Mac later." Danny turned back to talk to Julia.

"Or, you can deal with Mac now." Danny cringed slightly, only noticed by Julia, and turned back to the door.

"Hey, Mac. I was just about to leave and take this stuff back to the lab for analysis." He slowly stood up, grabbed his kit and walked towards the door.

"Make sure you put a rush on that. I have a feeling I know who is involved with this and you might want to stay away from the case."

"Aw, come on Mac. You keep doing this and I'm not going to be able to do any work at all."

"Well, how are you going to stick around here and make sure everything is good with Ms. Flack if you are out in the field doing interviews and watching your own back?"

"So it's true." Mac looked at him questioningly. "Tanglewood is involved."

"How do you know?"

Don came to the forefront of the conversation and stood beside Danny. "Jules was telling us how she knew Louie and some things came out about what happened. We didn't ask any questions that would be involved with the case. Trust me, I know better."

"Alright, well. Flack, why don't you go and see if anyone else heard anything? Danny, take everything that you have collected here and head back to the lab. I'll stick around. I've got some questions." Danny quickly left the room.

Don walked over to the bed and grabbed Julia's hand. "I'll be back later. I will, um, call mom and dad and let them know that you're back and everything's ok. Um, if you need anything while I'm gone call me and I'll get it."

Julia looked back up at her brother, "I will. Make sure that mom and dad aren't going to rush in here and interrupt us. Don't worry about me. I have a feeling I'm going to be in good hands."

Don shook his head and walked out the door. Mac grabbed a chair and sat down beside the bed. "I have to say that I am quite surprised to learn that Don had a sister."

"Well, we haven't been in contact for awhile. I've been doing some things, but not what you are probably thinking.""Well, why don't we start at the beginning and you prove me wrong."

"I did graduate from the academy the same year that Don did. Even though he's a year older than me, he waited so that we could go through the academy together and get our first job together. Well, we did get jobs just not together. Before graduation, I was approached from someone from the Gang Unit. They had been watching a few of us and needed someone to go undercover within the Tanglewood organization. They didn't tell me why they wanted someone to go under. For some reason they chose me and I didn't even get to go to graduation. I was put under right away. There was another guy undercover that brought me in with him as a recruit. Contrary to what everyone believes, those guys have more people behind them then who you actually see. Anyways, things had been going ok for awhile."

"How long were you under for?"

"About 3 ½ to 4 years. I lost track after awhile. I couldn't even contact anyone. Every once in a while I would send Don an email letting him know that everything was ok and that I was still alive."

"Did he know where you were?"

Julia shook her head, "No, all he knew was that I was undercover. He didn't even know that I was still living in New York."

"When did everything change?"

"About a year ago. Sonny was cautious about me when I first came in but he slowly became to trust me. Last year, there were rumors going around in the organization that there was a rat inside. There were a few raids on some warehouses that Sonny owned that had huge amounts of drugs in them. He immediately jumped on me and Patrick, the guy who "brought" me in. Louie started to protect me. But unfortunately, no one would stand up for Patrick because there were a few things that he did that people were questioning. Louie would tell Sonny to back off and made sure that everyone else knew that if they screwed around with me, they would have to face Louie. Well, that worked until everything happened with Danny. Louie told me everything. He talked about Danny with a smile on his face. He truly did want to protect him then, always did. He knew how much Danny hated him, but he made sure that Sonny knew not to screw around with his family. I ended up following Louie and Sonny that night. I will never get the screaming, the stench of blood or the pain on Louie's face out of my head. After he was attacked, a kid named Joey started to hang around me. I found out that Louie had told him to make sure that everyone stayed away from me and ultimately protect me."

"What happened today?"

"Yesterday, I overheard Sonny arguing with Joey. He finally told him that I needed to be taken out before I could do anymore damage. Joey started arguing with him but Sonny shut him up quickly." Julia took a deep breath, turned her head and looked out the window. "I was sitting in the park across from the house when I was grabbed from behind and thrown into a car. I saw Joey sitting beside me shaking like a leaf. We got to the warehouse and I was thrown into one of the steel walls. I swear I couldn't feel any part of my body after that. I saw Sonny raise a gun and point it at me. I tried to move but there was nowhere to go. I watched as he took the safety off and I could feel the bullet pierce through me. I fell to the ground and watched as he walked over to Joey."

"What was the last thing you remember?"

"I remember hearing three more shots ring out and Joey screaming. The next thing I know is someone was screaming that I was still alive and I'm all of a sudden being raised onto a stretcher being pushed past Joey's dead body. I saw Don standing over him. Please don't tell Don what I just told you. I hate lying to him, but I have to because I know that he would freak out."

Mac looked Julia in the eyes and sighed. "I promised Danny when Louie was attacked and I am going to promise you the same thing. We are going to catch Sonny Sassone, I guarantee that."

"I thought you guys got him after everything with Louie."

"We tried, but somehow we couldn't find him and trust me I was more upset about it than anyone. He's tried to ruin one of the best CSI's I've ever met."

Julia let out a small smile. "At least there is someone else out there who is looking after him. Without Louie around I was worried that Danny was going to lose his way."

Mac put his head down and thought about what Danny and his whole team had been through in the last little while. He only hoped that Julia would bring something positive to the people that cared for her the most.

Push the little blue button...you know you want to.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See prologue...thanks again to Axellia for betaing this for me...you are awesome...remember if you like it enough leave me a review...let me know what you want to see next or what you like or don't like...i could always use some ideas and tips.

* * *

Don looked into the room and saw his sister lying peacefully. The talk with his mother didn't go over very well. His dad, like always, was more worried about Julia then their mother ever was.

Julia and Marie Flack never did get along. For as long as Don could remember, Julia did everything she could to please their mother, but it never worked. Getting straight A's, getting into the Police Academy, and getting a degree in chemistry never really did impress their mother. Don Sr. couldn't have been happier that his two children were following in his foot steps. He really didn't want his little girl to be a cop, but if it was what she wanted to do then that was what he was going to let her do.

Don silently walked into his sister's room and sat down in the lonely chair beside the bed. He bowed his head and gave a silent prayer of thanks.

"Did she actually care this time?" Julia asked as she awoke.

"Do you want me to be honest or just lie?"

"Never mind. What about dad?"

"He was just happy that you were out of there. He wants to come down and see you but I told him that Mac was going to be questioning you and that you needed your rest."

"Did you tell him where I was?"

"No, you really think that that would be the smartest thing. He would go and murder Sonny."

Julia rolled over and looked her older brother in the eye. She could see how upset he really was with the situation. She hadn't seen him since she was put under; sure she had sent him emails but that wasn't enough. They had been the best of friends during school. Sure, Don was 2 years older then she was but no matter what, wherever one Flack was, you would be able to find the other one. Don was never ashamed to be seen with his sister. They had been through so much together when they were younger, for him to be ashamed of her. She was one of the strongest women that he knew. Julia felt the same way about Don. Julia knew that if it hadn't have been for Louie, there would have been no way that she would ever have seen her brother again. That thought alone scared her.

Both Flacks were shaken from their thoughts by the door opening. Don turned around and saw Danny walking in with a bunch of flowers.

"I come bearing gifts." He said with a smile on his face.

Julia sat up in the bed and put her arms out. Danny handed her the flowers along with a few stuffed animals. "Please tell me that you didn't buy all of these?"

"Of course not." Don knew differently and he shook his head.

Julia looked at Danny with a small smile. "You didn't need to do that. I like having company and I don't need any fancy gifts."

"I'll keep that in mind next time. Even though I can guarantee that there won't be a next time."

"Any news?" Don asked trying to bring the two back to the real world. For some reason it didn't bother him that Danny was attempting to flirt with his sister and he didn't know why.

"According to Stella, they've been able to track down Sonny. They were getting ready to bring him in when I left. Mac didn't want me around in case something came out that we knew who she really was. Actually, he wanted me to tell you he wants you in the interview with him when he talks to Sonny."

"He doesn't think that this would get in the way?"

"What about fact that she's your sister?" Don nodded.

"He doesn't know Donnie. He only knows who he thought I was. He never knew that I was a cop or who my family was. Don't worry. Go and do your job. Messer and I need to catch up anyways." Don slowly got up and gave Julia a kiss on the forehead. "Just be careful with being in a room with him please! I don't need you to get hurt or in any trouble." Julia said as she squeezed his hand.

Don smiled, "But it would be worth it. I understand what you mean and I will be careful." He walked out of the room and shook his head. He knew that his sister was in safe hands when Danny was around.

Danny quickly took the seat that Don had previously occupied. He slowly took Julia's hand in his and looked her in the eye. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled lightly. "A little bit better now that I know that Sonny is going to pay for what he did. I hope they get him for Louie and your family."

"Don't worry about it. Mac has been waiting for this moment since they first crossed paths a year ago."

Danny looked at the person sitting in front of him. He couldn't believe that here was someone who knew who he was, not entirely, but was still sitting there. Surely, Louie had told some of the stories of both of their youth. The things that they did to get into trouble, like what actually happened in the stadium the night that nearly ruined Danny's career.

"So, what crazy stories did Louie tell you about me?"

"Nothing too bad. He did tell me what happened that night. He wasn't going to let you get into trouble for something that Sonny did. He knew that Sonny was trying to ruin the person that you are now, he wasn't going to let that happen. He loves you too much for that to happen. I really tried to help him that night."

"Why didn't you come in with him?"

"Because no one knew that I was there. I was the one who called the ambulance; I couldn't let you lose your brother. I visited once, you weren't there. I made sure that you had gone before I went in. How is he doing now?"

"Getting better. Still hasn't woken up but the doctors are hopeful that he will." Just as he finished his sentence there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Julia yelled. The door slowly opened and in walked Don Flack Sr. Julia's face lit up as she saw her father walk in the door. "What are you doing here? I thought Donnie told you not to worry about coming to see me."

"Well you know me. I haven't seen my baby girl in years and here she is sitting in the hospital. I wasn't just going to sit around and wait for your brother to bring you by."

"I missed you too daddy. Have you met Danny Messer?"

Danny stood up to shake the man's hand. "Nice to see you again sir."

"Nice to see you son. How has your brother been lately?"

"Getting better each day but hasn't woken up yet. I will let you two catch up. Maybe I'll pay him a visit."

"Tell him I said hi and that I will come and visit him soon." Danny nodded and headed out the door. "I haven't been able to have a decent conversation with that man since I got here. Everyone keeps interrupting us."

Flack Sr. let out a small laugh. "Sorry, I didn't know that there was anything important going on in here."

"We were just talking daddy. Don't worry. You and Don can threaten him later. How have you been?"

"Better now that I know that you are ok. When are you getting out of here?"

"Soon I hope."

**

* * *

****Meanwhile back at the crime lab**

Stella and Mac stood in the observation room watching Sonny Sassone sit and stare at the four walls that he was in. The door beside them opened and Flack walked in and gave them a small smile. Stella gave him a look of sympathy and looked back through the window.

"How is she doing?" Stella questioned.

"Better then I thought she would be. When I left Danny was sitting with her but I passed my dad on the way out. Has he said anything?"

Mac shook his head, "No he's actually being smart this time. But once we get in there, I'll let you try and crack him."

"Are you sure that you want me in there?"

"I trust that you can keep your cool and you can keep your sisters identity under wraps."

Don slowly nodded and headed into the interview room. He took a deep breath as he sat down in front of the scum that had tried to ruin two of the most important people in his life.

"Oh, so they send in the big guns now." Sonny sneered.

"Yeah well, I was the only one that would deal with you right now. Got a few questions for ya Sonny. Where were you last night?"

"Sitting at home watching the game. Did you see how badly those Yank's kicked the Cardinals ass?"

"No, because I had to clean up your mess."

"Mess, what mess?"

"You know what mess I'm talking about Sonny. The two dead bodies in the warehouse."

"I don't know anything about any dead bodies in any warehouse."

"I'm sure you don't. How about the fact that they were two of your people."

"What people?"

"You're good at playing dumb Sonny. Do the names Joey Hayes and Marissa Montoya ring a bell to you?"

"Joey is a distant cousin of mine; I don't know any Marissa Montoya."

Sonny was beginning to get on Don's nerves and everyone watching knew it. Mac trusted Don enough not to loose his cool. He started to pace around Sonny. "Well, that's where I know your lying. Joey may have been a distant cousin of yours but he was also one of your runners and look outs. Now, Marissa we had a little bit of fun trying to figure out. Word around is that you thought she was a rat and she had to be quieted." Sonny's eyes flickered and he sat up straight. "What, did I hit a nerve? Guess we all know the truth now. So you realize that you are under arrested for two counts of murder and one attempted murder? Stand up."

As Sonny got to his feet, he looked Don in the eyes. "That bitch deserved everything she got. Messer had no right bringing her into the business. He got what he deserved too."

"Get moving." It took everything in Don's mind not to feed into Sonny's bait. He couldn't let him know that Julia, or Marissa, was alive and let him know who she really was. In his mind, the minute Sonny shot Julia, Marissa died then and there. He handed Sonny off to a uniform that was waiting outside and turned and saw Mac, Stella and Hawkes waiting for him.

"Everything ok?" Mac asked.

"I hope he gets life for everything that he has put these people through."

"Don't worry we have enough evidence, plus Julia's statement will be the final nail on his coffin."

"What if he finds out the truth?"

"Then he finds out the truth. But by the time he does, he'll be in jail and can't get to anyone."


	5. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay for this chapter...life came and bite me in the behind and I hadn't had a chance to send this to me beta...but I finally did and thank you to her for editing this for me...R&R and all that good stuff...Remember I don't own anyone that you recognize, if I did, there would be nothing going on between Flack and Angell.

After a few days of lying in a hospital bed, between visitors and lawyers, Julia was finally ready to go home. The only problem was she really didn't have a home to go to. She had been living in a dorm during school and had never found a permanent place for herself whilst she was undercover. She really didn't know where she was going to stay. She thought about moving back in with her mother and father but at the same time she knew that she would only be welcomed by her dad and she really did not want to go back into her childhood home. But what she didn't realize was that Don was already preparing his apartment for her to live in with him for the time being.

The door to her hospital room opened and in walked into a semi-permanent figure in her life the past few days and it brought a smile to her face.

"Ready to get out of here?" Danny asked

"You know I am." Julia said as she stepped out of her bed. Danny wheeled over a wheelchair for her to sit in. "I don't need this."

"I know you don't but it's hospital policy and you like to stick to the rules don't you."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Can we make a stop before we get out of here?"

"Wherever you want to go I will take you."

"Take me upstairs. I made a promise to you."

"To me?"

"Yeah, I promised that I would go and see Louie before I left and I haven't been able to. Now is my chance to go upstairs and see him."

"Are you sure? It's not a real pretty sight right now."

"I don't care. I want to see him. He saved my life." Danny had no choice but to agree. He quickly wheeled Julia out of her room and headed up to the ICU. They both took a deep breath before the walked into Louie Messer's room.

Danny wheeled Julia beside the bed, where she grabbed his hand. "Hey Louie. Being lazy again I see. I got out, but you knew that I would. You knew that I wouldn't last long without you around didn't you. I can't believe this. I never wanted this to happen. You were supposed to be on Sonny's side not mine. You should've turned me in. I shouldn't have lasted as long as I did." Julia said as she started to cry.

Danny walked in front of Julia, bent down and looked her in the eyes. "You know why he didn't turn you in?" Julie shook her head. "Because he knew what kind of person you are. Jules, Louie has a good judgement of character, not that it helps when he is choosing his friends, but when it comes to people he doesn't know, he knows what he is doing. Every once in a while he would call me and tell me about this wonderful girl who kept him on his toes. He wanted to protect you, it's not because he felt like he had to, he wanted to. Ok?" Julia nodded and wiped her eyes. "Alright, now let's get you home shall we?"

Julia let out a small laugh through her tears. "I don't even know where I am going to stay. I didn't have an apartment before I graduated. Both Don and I lived in the dorms."

"Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That you are staying with him for a while. He made up his guest room with most of the stuff that you had from the dorms. Your dad kept it safe for you and they brought it out."

"Really?" Danny nodded. "Wow, I never even thought of that. At least someone did."

They both laughed and headed into Manhattan. Julia looked around at everything that she had missed in the last four years. She couldn't believe that she had turned away the great life she would have had, just to take down Sonny Sassone and lose one of her best friends. They pulled up in front of Don's apartment building. Danny quickly got out of the car and helped Julia get out of the car.

"I never knew that you were such a gentleman."

"Well, when it comes to a beautiful girl, then I am. My momma taught me right."

"She taught both of you right." Danny, smiled, took her hand and helped her inside.

They both got into the elevator and headed up to the fifth floor apartment. Danny quickly knocked on the door and when he heard the "come in," they both walked in. What Julia wasn't prepared for was the group of people standing in the middle of her brother's apartment waiting to greet her to her new home. In the corner of the room, she could see her mother sitting, looking uninterested in what was going on in the rest of the room. It brought the dark cloud from her childhood back over her whenever she was around her mother. She remembered that there were other people in the room who were happy that she was still alive.

"I wasn't expecting so many people."

"Well, it isn't everyday that we get to meet Flack's little sister. He has said so much about you in the last little while." Stella said

"I hope it was all good. Right, Donnie?" Julia looked over at her older brother who was starting to turn red.

"What can I say? I am extremely proud of what you have done in the last 4 years. I had to tell someone eventually. Just be glad it wasn't while you were "missing"."

"We're all proud of you sweetie. I'm just glad you're back." Sr. said as he took his youngest child in his arms. He leaned down and whispered to her, "Even your mother is happy for you."

Julia looked up at him, "I bet she is. Maybe I should go over and say hi to her." Julia broke away from the group and headed over to the corner of the room and stood in front of her mother. "Mom."

"Oh Julia," Marie Flack said as she looked up at her daughter. "It's nice to see you dear."

"It's good to see you too."

"What have you been up to lately? I haven't heard from you since you graduated."

"Ok, cut the crap. You know that I didn't graduate, or did you even notice that I wasn't there. Were you too wrapped up in your precious son that you didn't even notice that your daughter had suddenly "disappeared" as everyone put it?"

"Don't talk to me like that young lady," Marie stood up. "You will speak to me with the respect that I deserve."

"You don't deserve jack shit from me. All my life I have been trying to do well in your books and nothing ever worked. All it did was run me down to the point of exhaustion or a mental break down."

"Don't blame me for your stupidity"

"Stupidity? You're calling everything I did to get where I am today, stupidity? It's a good thing that I never did anything for you, except try and please you. I can't believe that after all this time you can't say that you are actually proud of me. Would it kill you to do so? I bet you call Don everyday and 

tell him how proud of him you are, every birthday card, Christmas card." Julia turned to everyone. "I'm sorry everyone. I let my childhood over ride everything that you have done for me today. I let my mother run over me again and treat me like the piece of shit she thinks I am." She quickly walked out the door and headed up to the roof of the building.

No one moved or spoke a word for a few moments after Julia's quick departure. Don hung his head and there were many things running through it at once. He looked up and saw Danny turn and head out the door after his sister. He looked over at his father and saw the sympathy in his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Lindsay standing there.

"Do you want us to leave?"

"No, please don't. I'm sure Danny will be back in a few minutes with Julia and everything will be ok. Um, why don't you guys grab some food and something to drink?" Don quickly turned and headed into his bedroom and shut the door.

He walked over to the bed and sat down. He knew that he was creating a recipe for disaster by inviting his mother to the welcome home party, but he thought that maybe, just maybe, they could patch things up. He knew how much it meant to Julia to have their mother be proud of her, but as today proved it would never happen.

Danny quickly looked around as he walked out of the apartment. He knew that she wouldn't have walked very far; she didn't know the neighbourhood just yet. He figured that the best place to check would be the roof. Who didn't like going up to look at the stars to think about everything?

He slowly opened the door and looked around. Over in a small corner of the roof, Danny quickly spotted the red dot of Julia. He made his way over and took off his jacket and put it around Julia's shoulders and gave her a hug. He looked her in the eyes and saw the sadness in them. He left his one arm on her shoulder and moved to stand beside her.

"I guess we have one other thing in common." His statement was met with silence. "Ever since Louie's been in the hospital, I find myself sitting on the roof of my apartment more then before. I used to sit out there before whenever I had a shitty day at work, but now, it's almost every time I come home from work and my thoughts have a chance to run rapid. I can't help but think about everything that I could have done to stop him from hanging out with Sonny."

"There was nothing you could have done, you know that."

"Sometimes I'd like to think that I could."

"Well, trust me. He was far gone by the time I got there." Julia let out a deep breath. "You know, sometimes after a bad fight with my mom, I use to sit in the tree in our backyard. Don would come and find me after he got home from his after school job. Dad would be worried because I hadn't come down for dinner or he couldn't find me in my room, but sure enough, Don would know where to look for me. She just drove me nuts. Everything I did, everything I said, I wore, was never good enough for her. She nitpicked at everything that I did. I tried so hard to get her to like me, Danny, I really did." Julia put her head down on Danny's shoulder and started to cry.

"You know what I remember about growing up? I remember fighting constantly with my dad. Every day was something new. I either didn't get up right didn't close a door right. Louie was the exact opposite. Louie was the next in line for everything. Maybe it was because he was older, I don't know. But my mom, man, she was my best friend. She made sure that I never walked the same path as my brother and my dad. She wanted the best for me. I'm not telling you all this to prove that, say, I had a 

better life then you did. All I'm saying is that we both had it rough. Maybe my mom and your dad could've met earlier in life."

They both let out a small laugh. Julia lifted her head and looked Danny in the eyes, "You know that's not possible, if they did we wouldn't be here right now."

"What do you mean? I would be here no matter what!"

"Yeah, but Danny, I know what you are feeling. I can see it in your eyes and I know that you can see it in mine. I'm not saying we need to jump into this right away but what I am saying is that I like you and I'm hoping that you like me too." Julia looked away from Danny and looked at the Manhattan skyline.

Danny took his arm off her shoulder and Julia figured she had been wrong, maybe it was sympathy that she saw in his eyes instead of love and admiration. Danny put his hand on her arm and turned her around.

"I know what you are thinking right now and you are far from the truth. You're right; I feel something, something that I probably shouldn't be feeling because you're my best friend's sister. There is something out there that says I shouldn't be messing with you but I can't help but want to say screw it. I want this to go further with you, I want you to be able to call me and tell me about your day or how your feeling. I want to be able to take you out and show you off to everyone that thought that I wasn't good enough to be where I am and show how beautiful you are. I want to be able to look you in the eyes and do this," He grabbed both sides of her cheeks and brought their lips together. Julia was hesitant at first but knew that it was something that they both wanted. Danny could feel her finally give in to everything. He felt her arms creep up and wrap themselves around his neck. He finally pulled away and pulled their foreheads together. He could see the smile on her face and knew that he had a matching one.

"Ready to go back inside?" Julia quickly nodded and headed towards the door with Danny's hand in hers. She knew that this was the start of something incredible and she couldn't wait to see where it was going.


	6. Chapter 5

Danny and Julia walked back into the apartment and saw that everyone was still there. But Don was still missing. Danny gave her hand a squeeze and let it go. Julia knew where she would find her older brother. Knocking on his bedroom door , she walked in without hearing an answer. Giving him a small smile, she sat down beside him.

"Everything ok?" He asked

"Yeah, for now everything is ok. How about with you?"

"I'm good. I have to say that I am sorry that I invited mom here. I figured that this would happen, but I thought she would be good."

"You know what? It doesn't matter anymore. I tried my entire life to impress her and make her proud of me. If she's not going to be proud of what I have accomplished in such a short amount of time then fine, I don't want that from her. I'm kind of glad that you invited her. It helped me realize that I have been wasting time worrying about what she thinks when I could have been thinking about my family and my new friends."

"You mean Danny?"

"Maybe."

"Well, I can tell be the smile on your face that something happened while you were outside with him. Care to explain?"

"There's nothing to explain. We're taking thing slowly and we're going to see where it goes."

"Well, for the record, I am happy for both of you. I don't know why but I trust him with you."

"You should trust him; he is your best friend after all. Plus, I don't think that I would care even if you gave us your blessing. I really like him."

"I know you do and I also know that he will treat you right and all that good stuff." The Flack siblings let out a small laugh.

Julia got up off the bed and stuck her hand out to her brother. "Come on; let's go enjoy this little party you threw for me."

Julia and Don headed back out into the living room, where everyone else was standing around looking awkward.

"Why are you all standing around? This is a party isn't it? A party for me? Let's have some fun shall we?!" Julia exclaimed.

Danny shook his head as he made his way into the kitchen. He had been in this apartment enough times to know where everything was and that he would have to get anything he wanted himself. He heard someone walk in behind him.

"I trust you."

Danny jumped when he heard his best friend's voice. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I trust you to not hurt my sister."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good. Because you know that I won't be the only one who will have your hide if you do hurt her."

"Yeah, I know. She may just be the greatest thing to happen to me in a while. I can't explain it."

"She has that kind of effect on people. I think that is why they chose her to go and do all that work instead of someone else. No one else is as trustworthy as she is with certain information."

"Let's just be thankful for Louie then shall we."

After grabbing their drinks and some more food, the boys headed back out into the living room and Danny glanced around. He had to smile when he thought of all his friends gathered in one area for once. They were never able to hang out because everyone was on different schedules at the moment. It wasn't until Julia showed up that he was even able to see his best friend.

The party lasted for a few more hours until the guest of honor began to fall asleep on the couch. Don looked over and saw his baby sister dozing on his best friend's shoulder. He stood up and looked around the room at the guests that were still hanging around.

"Hey everyone. I really do hate to cut this shindig short but I think it's about time we all pack it in. I know some of us have to get up in the morning to go to work, while others just get to sit around and mooch off of their older brothers." He watched as Julia lifted up her arm and gave him the middle finger. Everyone let out a soft laugh. "Love you too. Anyways, we shall get together again in the near future." Everyone slowly got up and headed out the door, but not before giving their salutations to the newly reunited Flack family. Everyone could see how much more relaxed Don seemed to be now that his sister was back home.

As soon as everyone left, Don started to clean everything up. He heard Julia walk Danny to the door and tried not to play the big brother role.

"So, are you going to be too busy for lunch tomorrow?" Julia questioned

"I shouldn't be. Why don't you call me before you are going to head over and I will let you know if I am going to be free or not?"

"I can do that. Drive carefully."

"You know I will. Have a good sleep and I will talk to you later." Danny leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her lips and as he walked out the door, he gave her a sly smile. "Bye Don."

"See ya Danny." As Julia closed the door behind Danny, she couldn't help but let the smile on her face grow.

"I take it someone is a little happy?"

"Just a little."

"Good. After everything that you both have been through in the last couple of weeks you deserve to be happy."

Julia walked away and started to clean up the kitchen. "What are you doing?" Don asked her and he walked in behind her.

"Cleaning. I live here don't I? I will be helping out every once in a while."

"Yeah, but not tonight. Go to bed, you've had a long day. You can start doing that entire helping out stuff tomorrow after you've had a nice long sleep and have relaxed a little. I want you to be comfortable with everything before you start doing any thing too normal."

"I need to do something normal right now. I haven't had a normal life for four years."

"I understand that sis but at the same time, you need to slowly put yourself back into the real world before you just jump right back in. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me. I have been able to take care of myself for the last four years being where I've been. I have been capable of taking care of myself since I was little. I grew up with you and dad on me all the time. Dad protected me the best he could from all the horrors of our lives."

"And now it's my turn to protect you. Just do me a favor and listen to me for once. Just take some time to get readjusted to a normal kind of life."

Julia let out a small sigh. She knew that Don had her best interests in mind but at the same time, she wanted to be able to live her life again. She had been shut away from everything for years and now that she was able to get away from that life and back into reality, everyone didn't want her to get back to life. "I guess. If you are going to stay off me and eventually let me live my own life then fine, I will give you this." She shook her head, walked out of the kitchen and headed to her room.

When she walked into her room and it almost looked liked her room had when she was younger. All of her posters, her CDs, everything from her childhood were sitting in that one room. As she lay down on her bed, Julia finally felt like she was finally home for the first time in a while.

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****The Next Morning****

Julia slowly woke up as the sun began to peek through her bedroom window. She could hear Don moving around the shower, so she knew that it had to be early. She slowly got out of bed and headed into the kitchen.

Don turned around and saw his little sister slowly walking into the room and smiled. It felt like forever since he had seen her walk around in her pajamas. In fact, it had been at least 5 years since they had lived together. It was weird for him to actually miss the things that he remembered from when they lived together, like the textbooks that used to be left all over the place, the clothes, random phone calls from friends at 3 in the morning. He quickly gave his head a shake and went back to reading the newspaper.

"You're up early." Don said, slightly startling his baby sister.

"I couldn't sleep anymore. I never slept a lot living with Sonny. They were always up partying until late at night and then they would have their daily meetings a like 8 am and I would have to be there for them."

"How are you feeling today?" Don could hear something in his sister's voice that he had never heard before and he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Um, I would be feeling better if I knew that it was for sure that Sonny and the gang were done for good, but I know that they will get away with all of this."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I worked with them for 4 years. They got away with tons of shit that you guys don't even know about. He got away with nearly killing Louie. What makes you think that he is not going to get away with killing Joey and trying to kill me?"

"Because we have an expert witness. We have you. We know everything that went on, you surviving that wasn't some miracle sweetie, you were meant to survive that and help us put away the worse criminal, in my mind, in the NYPD history."

"You mean that I am going to have to testify? I can't do that Donnie, not when he thinks that I am dead. He finds out that I am alive and am going to testify against him, he'll send every single resource that he's got to come after me, you, Danny, anyone that he thinks is tied to me or anyone that I have given information to."

"Hey, don't worry." He got up and directed her to the table to sit down. "Neither Sonny nor anyone in his organization is going to find out that you are alive. Mac and I will work something out with the District Attorney that you do not have to testify in front of anyone. If anything, you will be able to sit down with the DA or even the judge in charge of the case and give either a written testimony that way or you can give your testimony to them. I will make sure that you never have to step foot inside that courtroom and sit in front of Sonny. I won't let anything happen to you, ever. And I don't think that Danny would ever let anything happen to you either. So between the two of us and the entire Crime Lab behind you, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"I hope you're right. I just hope that Danny realizes what he is getting into."

"I think he knows and I don't think he cares much. I can see it already. He really likes you."

"As long as you don't have a problem with it."

"Well, he is my best friend and I do know what he is really like, but when I saw him look at you last night I saw something different in his eyes. I'm not sure what is was but whatever it was, it was good." Don smiled at his sister as she put her head down. He laid his hand on top of hers and squeezed it. They had been through so much together when they were growing up, dealing with a gang like Sonny's was going to be like a walk in the park. The next thing to deal with, was going to be their mother.


	7. Chapter 6

Special thanks goes out to Brown Eyed Girl75 for being so patient with me and betaing this for me.....You are amazing. Also, thanks to everyone who has either reviewed or added this story or my other stories to their alerts or faves. It really means a lot to me. I hope people are still interested in this. I promised chapter seven should be up quicker this time. Hope fully. Remember, read and review.

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Don got up from the kitchen table and began to make his sister breakfast. He knew that he would have to leave for work soon, but decided to spend as much time with her as he possibly could before he left.

"Are you going to have lunch with Danny today?" He asked curiously.

"Hopefully, if he's not too busy." Julia still sounded tired, if not a little bit stressed out. He didn't blame her. Having to deal with their mother and the thought of having to testify at Sonny Sassone's trial was too many things for someone like her to deal with. He would have to remember when he got to work to make time to go and have a talk with Mac and the DA to find out about what they were planning on doing about his sister's testimony.

"I don't think he will be." Flack told her. "He's got no open cases. Just some reports to finish up."

"You guys must be really close."

"Why do you say that?"

"You know everything about each other. He probably knows more about you than I do." Julia thought that was the worse thing about being undercover and away from her brother for so long. Not being able to be there for him whenever he needed to.

"No, you know the most important stuff. Yeah, he's been there for broken relationships and interesting cases but you are my sister. We've been through some pretty shitty stuff together. No one will ever know me more then you do." He looked over his shoulder at her and saw her sad face light up as he spoke.

"Don't you have to get to work?"

"Yeah, are you going to be okay here today?"

"I think I can handle it." Julia answered confidently. "I've lived by myself before."

"Yeah but that was at Grams' house." Flack said "And she was there with you."

"I might do that today. I might go and see her. Why wasn't she here last night."

"She wanted me to tell you to come and visit her when you are more comfortable. She knew that you had been out in the world making a difference and wanted to give you a chance to catch back up with Dad and I first. Give her a call before you go over. I think she had some stuff planned for today as well. I'm going to go and hop in the shower. Why don't you eat and relax a bit before you go out and do anything today?"

Julia nodded as Don headed into the bathroom and closed the door. As much as she loved her brother, she was starting to feel a little smothered. She knew that it was a big deal that she was back after being gone for four years but at the same time she wasn't an invalid, she just wanted some time to herself. She had plenty of time to relax in the coming days before she started looking for a new job. She just wanted to spend some time with a few people before her schedule got too hectic.

After she ate, Julia headed into her room, got changed and left the apartment. Her first stop was going to be her grandmother's house. She giggled to her stuff as she realized that, in her head, she sounded like Little Red Riding Hood. She pulled out her cell phone and entered the most familiar number, after her brother's.

"Hello?" A timid little voice answered.

"Grams?" Julia answered just as timid.

"Is that my darling Julia?"

"Yeah Grams, it's me. How are you?"

"Sweetie, I am good. How are you doing?"

"No worse for wear. Are you busy right now?

"No, I am not. Did you want to come over and visit?"

"Yes. Actually I am on my way over there right now. So I will be over there in about 20 minutes. Is that ok with you?"

"Any time you want to come over is good for me. I will see you in a little bit."

Julia headed down the street to the subway tunnel. She knew the way to her grandmother's house off by heart. At least there was no wolf tracking her every move and waiting for her when she got there.

**At the Precinct.**

Don sat down at his desk and looked at the growing pile of case files. He shook his head and knew that there was no way that he was going to be leaving work, either early or even on time. He just hoped that his sister would be able to find someone to hang out with until he was able to get home. He felt a little guilty at the fact that he was treating his sister as if they were fifteen again and she needed a babysitter, but at the same time he knew that it was a little necessary.

He decided that he would start on his cases files as soon as he talked to Mac. He headed to the crime lab with the thought of telling Mac that there was no way Julia was going to testify in front of Sonny.

He walked through the halls, watching the lab rats run around doing whatever tests necessary to put the bad guys behind bars. He knew that they were the reason why they caught the bad guys and that without any of them criminals would go free.

He continued walking through the halls until he reached the head office. He knocked on the door and entered when he saw a little wave. He watched as Mac turned his back to quickly finish up his phone conversation, undoubtedly with the Chief of Detectives. He hung up the phone and looked apologetically at Don.

"Sorry about that. Sinclair wanted to know what is going on with the Sassone case."

"Well, that's why I am here." Flack told the older man.

"Something wrong with Julia?" Mac asked, with concern in his voice

"Yeah," the homicide detective admitted. "How are you guys going to be handling her testimony?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

Don knew the different ways that Mac Taylor reacted to certain questions if he wasn't telling the whole truth. This was one of those times that Don wasn't certain whether or not he could actually trust Taylor.

"Because there is no way that she is going to be able to testify if front of Sonny. She's scared enough."

"That might be the only option," Mac informed him.

"So, you are willing to hang my sister. Everyone is willing to let my sister walk into an open courtroom, with her would be killer, and let her tell what actually happened to her. In front of everyone who she needs protecting from? Is that what you are willing to do?"

"We don't have a choice, Don." Mac said, keeping his voice calm and composed. "If there was any other way of doing it then we would. She'll be protected after the trial, for however long she needs to be."

"And what if that isn't enough?" Flack asked, "You know what Sassone's crew is like. They will take whoever out they has to. If it's me, Danny, my father, anyone. They won't care. If you are willing to let her sit and tell her story in front of him, than you are basically giving her a death sentence and I won't let that happen."

Throwing open the office door, Flack stormed into the hall and right into Danny Messer. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The last thing he needed was Danny running off and telling his sister that the only way they were going to be able to put Sonny Sassone behind bars was for her to actually sit in front of him.

"Please tell me that I didn't just hear what I think I heard." Danny implored.

"Well, if you heard the fact that this whole department is willing to put my sister in front of someone who wanted her dead and thinks that she is, then yes you heard right." Flack snapped

"That's impossible. They can't. There is no way that Julia is going to be capable of testifying in front of Sassone."

"I know. But apparently that is the only way that they are willing to do anything."

"Don listen," Mac said, as he appeared in the doorway of his office. "The DA and I have discussed this. There is no other way that we can do this. If there were we would do it. You have to know that." Mac said standing in the doorway of his office.

"Have you even tried to talk to the judge?" The detective asked angrily. "Or did that not even come into your mind when you were deciding my sister's fate?"

"The DA has been trying to meet with him all day but he's too busy." Mac replied.

"So instead of waiting for an opportunity to be able and talk with the judge, you are already going ahead with the fact that Julia is going to have to testify? Do you really want her death on your conscience?" Don was starting to lose his patience. He knew that if the wrong person found out that Julia was going to have to testify and it got back to her, there was no telling what she would do or where she would go.

"You realize, she finds out about this, she is going to disappear and when she does, she will make sure that you can't find her?" Danny asked looking at his boss. "And then you know what will happen? We won't be able to put the final nail in Sonny Sassone's coffin and all of this would have been for nothing."

At this point, Mac realized that there was no way that he was going to be able to reason with the males. He knew that they both cared deeply for the girl but at the same time they had to realize that this was the only option.

"If the DA comes back to me with another option then fine, I will be the first to apologize," Mac told them. "But until then, I am going to need to talk with your sister, Don and so will the DA."

"Be prepared for a fight, because not only will you have Messer and I fighting this but you will also have my father." Don warned, and turning around, stormed out of the crime lab. The first person he was going to have to call was going to be his father. The one person Don knew could fix the entire mess.

As soon as he got back to his desk, Don picked up the phone and called the most familiar number in his mind. He waited as it rang and rang; he was quickly becoming very impatient.

Just as he was about to hang up and try again later, someone picked up the phone. "Hello, Flack residence."

"Hey Mama, is Dad there?"

"Oh, Donnie. How is work going?"

"Not very well at the moment. Listen mom, as much as I want to talk, I really need to talk to dad about something important."

"Ok honey, just a minute and I will get him."

A few minutes later, the Flack patriarch got on the phone. "Don, what's going on?"

"We have a very bad situation. Taylor and the DA want Jules to testify at Sassone's hearing."

"She can't. She is supposed to be dead."

"I know that, Dad. But apparently, that doesn't matter to anyone. They just want to throw her to the wolves and they don't care if she gets hurt in the process."

"Where is your sister now?" His father asked.

"She was heading to Grams' house after eating. I haven't talked to her since before I left so I don't know if she got there ok."

"Alright, here's what we are going to do. I want to meet you so that we can discuss what is going on. Can you leave now?"

Don looked around his desk at all the paperwork that was covering the perimeter. He knew at that moment that figuring out what they were going to do about his sister was more important than the paperwork that was quickly piling up. "Yeah, I can meet you now." He responded.

The Flack males hung up the phones and made their ways to the destinations. Both knowing that this was going to turn into a matter of life and death in the matter of an instant.

**Meanwhile on the other side of the city.**

Julie walked up to the one house where she was always accepted. The one thing she loved about her grandmother was that no matter what was going on, she loved her granddaughter with everything she had.

Julie knew that her grandma Flack would always be there. Whenever times got tough at home with her mother, Julie would always end up at her grandmothers.

The one thing that you would never do if you were a relative of Margaret Flack's is knock on the door. Julie walked into her childhood dream home and smiled at the smell of baking drifting through the air. She knew that since her grandmother had known she was back, she had probably been baking.

She walked into the kitchen and saw the woman she always wished was her mother. She leaned against the doorway and watched at her grandmother walked gracefully throughout her kitchen, grabbing ingredients, remembering how much she loved helping her grandmother in the kitchen as a child.

"You know dear, it's not nice to stare at people and scare them."

"I'm sorry grams, I was just remembering some thing from the old days."

"You make it sound as if you are my age." Her grandmother chuckled.

"Some days, grams, I feel like it after what I have been through."

Julie walked over to her grandmother and gave her the biggest hug she possibly could. She was glad that she was back in the arms of someone who loved her unconditionally.

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Remember read and review.


	8. Chapter 7

I think this is the quickest I have gotten a chapter. I would like to thank people for adding this and my other CSI:NY story, "The Storm" to their favourite stories list. I also would like the thank Brown-Eyed Girl for editing this for me.

**Axellia- **Thanks for the review. It is a shame that Julia doesn't have a good relationship with her mom. The only thing about it is, I have no idea how the relationship is going to turn out because I am writing things as they come to me. I think other people are going to be standing up to help out as well. Keep your eyes open for special guest stars in coming chapters.

_**READ AND REVIEW**_ I might hold off for awhile if people don't leave me a review, letting me know what they think. I know people are reading this so I would like people to review as well. I like people telling me when things are good nad when things are bad. I can't say that I am going to change things if they are bad, depends what they are.

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Julia sat across from her grandmother at the table where she used to spend many nights crying after vicious fights with her mother. She could remember all the times her dad or her brother showed up to bring her home and how her grandmother easily convinced them to let her stay awhile. Awhile always turned into either days or weeks.

"What are you thinking about dear?" Margaret Flack questioned.

"Just reminiscing Grams." Julia replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Where are you staying?"

"With Donnie. He made up a bedroom for me with all my old stuff." Julia smiled a bit.

"Have you seen or talked to your mother yet?" Margaret asked with a hint if distain in her voice.

Margaret never liked her daughter-in-law. There was always something about her that made Margaret wonder what her son ever saw in the woman.

Julia sighed, "Yeah, she was at my welcome home party and basically ruined it. She always does that when something isn't about her. She didn't even come and visit me in the hospital. Does she not care about me that much, to not even come and check on me? Because I know she was forced to come to the party."

Margaret looked at her granddaughter and took Julia's hands into her own. "I can't tell you why your mother acts the way she does. What I can tell you is that no matter what your father, brother, and I will love you unconditionally until it isn't possible anymore. You mean the world to your brother. It has always amazed me how well you two have gotten along, considering the age difference. You guys have been attached at the hip since the day you were born. He's always looked out for you."

Julia smiled as the memories of the times her and Don hung out flowed through her brain. She always considered her brother to be her best friend. He was always there for her whenever she needed him to be.

She always believed that that was the one thing that got her through being undercover. The fact that she had one person waiting for her when she was done got her through the horrible days.

The afternoon flew by as Margaret and Julia caught up on things and reminisced about years past. Julia looked down at her watch and realized that she needed to leave if she was going to beat her brother home.

She looked up at her grandmother and smiled. "Well, Grams. This has been fun but I need to head home. You should come over some night for dinner. And I promise I won't let Donnie cook." The woman shared a laugh as Margaret walked Julia to the door.

"Don't worry dear. Whenever you want me to come over I will." Margaret replied as she hugged her granddaughter.

Julia walked out of the house and waved to her grandmother as she walked down the street towards the subway. As she checked her phone, she wondered what her brother had been up to during the day that he hadn't called to check up on her.

**Earlier in the day.**

Don Flack quickly left the police station and headed to meet his father. The only thing on his mind was figuring out what they were going to do to safe his sister's life.

He knew that his dad would know what to do. After many years in the NYPD, Flack Sr. knew the ropes and also knew the right strings to pull if need be. Flack Jr. also knew that when it came down to it, Sr. would do whatever he needed to, to save his daughter's life.

Jr. walked into the coffee shop and saw his dad sitting in the far corner, away from prying eyes and ears. Don sat down and gave his father a small smile.

"How are we going to handle this pop? " Jr. asked staring down at his hands.

"We aren't going to do anything!" Sr. stated. "I am going to deal with this and you are going to go back to work and than look after your sister." Jr. started to protest but Sr. raised his hand. "I don't need to worry about you too. I don't want you caught up in this if it goes bad."

"What do you mean goes bad?" Jr. questioned. "All your going to do is make sure she's not going to have to testify right?"

"Yeah, but there is going to be some sort of backlash from up above and I don't want you to be caught up in it."

Jr. silently agreed with his father. He didn't want to be caught up in anything. But at the same time, he didn't want his dad to get into trouble. He wanted to protect his dad just as much as his dad wanted to protect him and his sister. But he knew that his father would never let him in on whatever he had planned.

Don Jr. sighed and looked at his father. "Alright. You do whatever you need to do. I take it you want me to go blindly and not know when you are going to be doing things?"

"That's right," Sr. replied. "You just work and take care of your sister and I will take care of the rest."

The Flack men sat for another hour catching up before going their own ways. One back to work and the other, setting up a meeting to protect his family.

* * *

Julia got back to the apartment and was surprised to see a blue envelope with her name on it. She automatically assumed Don had changed her address before she got out of the hospital.

She grabbed the envelope and headed inside the apartment. By the time she was in the kitchen, she had the envelope open and began to read.

**Dear Ms. Flack**

**It is imperative that you come down to the office of the District Attorney to discuss your involvement with Mr. Sonny Sassone.**

**Please contact our office at your earliest convenience to set up a time to come and discuss this matter. (414) 555-0124.**

**Sincerely,**

**Mrs. A. Frost.**

Julia felt her hands begin to shake uncontrollably. She quickly ran into her bedroom and began to pack her bags. She knew that once it became public knowledge that she was in fact alive, her family, including Danny, would be in trouble.

Julia felt that she didn't have any other choice but to run. She wrote a quick note to Don, Danny and her father and quickly left the apartment. She didn't know where she was going but she knew that everyone was going to be safe with her gone.

* * *

The rest of Don's afternoon went smoother than he expected. Although he couldn't help but feel anxious about everything that was going on. He hoped that after his dad was done doing whatever he was doing that they would be able to comfortably tell Julia that she would never have to worry about Sonny Sassone or the Tanglewood Boys again. She was going to be able to live a normal life. That was all he wanted for his sister.

As Flack drove closer and closer to his apartment he started to feel more and more anxious to get home. Something was telling him that something was wrong.

Don walked into his apartment and started looking around. He noticed that there were things of his sister's missing.

"Julia, are you here?" Flack yelled as he walked through the apartment.

By the time Flack walked back into the kitchen, he was in full out panic mode. With his cell phone in his hand, Don was about to start making phone calls when he noticed two envelopes sitting on the kitchen table. One with his name on it and one with his sister's name. The first one he grabbed had his name on it. He held his breathe as he slowly opened the envelope.

**Dear Don,**

**First of all, DON'T PANIC! I'm going to be fine. I know why you didn't tell me about having to meet with the DA. It was only to protect me. Well, now it's my turn to protect you. I'm not sure where I am going but I will be okay. Apologize to Danny for me. I wish we had more time together. Tell Daddy and Grams that I love them. Don't worry I love you too.**

**Love always, Jules.**

Don dropped the letter on the table and quickly grabbed the other envelope, read it and slammed it down on the table. He flipped open his cell phone and called his dad.

"Hello?" Flack Sr. answered.

"She took off." Flack Jr. yelled into his phone as he left his apartment and headed down to his SUV.

"What do you mean she left? Are you sure she's not at your grandmother's still?" Sr. asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Yes, I'm sure. She left a goodbye letter. But only after she got a letter from Hale's office wanting her to come and talk to them." Jr. started the truck and tore out of the parking lot.

"Where are you headed?"

"To Danny's. He knows of Tanglewood Hideouts. She might have gone to one."

"Son, don't be stupid. Call your supervisor, let them take care of it." Sr. knew that pleading with his son was no good but he had to do something.

"I can't. They are the ones who are going to try and make her testify. Until that threat is gone, I'm going to make sure that she is safe. So you do what you have to do, and I will do whatever I have to." Jr. hung up his phone and turned it off. He knew that his father would keep trying to convince him to stop what he was doing. But he knew in order to protect his sister and keep her safe, he knew he would have to find her before any of the Tanglewood Boys, namely Sonny Sassone, discovered that she was alive and tried to silence her.


	9. Chapter 8

Here's the latest installment....sorry it took so long for me to get it posted...have not been in the writing mood but now I am. Thank you to Brown-Eyed Girl for betaing this for me. Thank you to everyone who put this story on their alerts and who reviewed. You guys mean a lot because it keeps me wanting to write this. You know what to do at the end....chocolate for whom ever can tell me who the special guest star is from. BTW I own who you don't recognize (meaning only Julia)

* * *

Pulling his SUV into a parking spot of his best friend's building, Don Flack killing the ignition and quickly got out and headed up the stairs.

As he was running up the stairs, he struggled to get into his pants pockets to pull out the set of keys that had Danny's house key on it. Two year before, just before the explosion that nearly took his life, Don and Danny had "exchanged" keys, "just in case."

"If anything ever happens to me, I want someone I trust going into my place. I trust you." Danny had said. Don trusted Danny too, more than anyone else in his life.

Don unlocked the apartment door and walked in calling his best friends name.

"Danny, Danny, where are you?" Don felt the panic begin to rise once again. Could Julia have stopped here and Danny was helping her hide? He didn't think Danny was that stupid but it could have been an impulsive move.

Don started to look for another note. He didn't hear the bedroom door open or see his friend standing, staring at him with a look or worry and interest in his face. Danny didn't know whether or not he should attempt to get Don's attention. Just as he was about to call out to the frantic man in front of him, Don turned around and saw Danny staring back at him.

"Holy shit, where were you?" Don asked, attempting to catch his breath. "I called you."

"I heard you. I was in the shower, I just got home. What's up with you?"

"You haven't heard from my sister have you?" Danny shook his head. "Damn it. Do you know any Tanglewood hideouts?"

"No, they change them every couple of years. Why?"

"She bailed," Flack explained. "All she left me was a fucking note and just took off. I don't know where she went or who is out there that could possibly help or hurt her. I am going out of my mind trying to figure out where she could have gone. My dad wants me to let Gerrard and Sinclair handle it but they are part of the problem. I thought maybe you could help." As he was talking, Don's arms were shaking and moving frantically.

Danny walked over to Don and stood in front of him. "Who says I can't help. Just because I may not know where some of the hideouts are, doesn't mean I am totally blind to where they hang out. Now, we can't go and beat down some doors but we can go look and do some investigating of our own. Let's go. Do you want me to drive?" Don nodded and handed his keys over to Danny.

The two men walked out to the SUV and headed out on their own search through the streets of New York for the most important person in both of their lives.

* * *

Julia walked off the subway into an unfamiliar area of New York. She kept telling herself that she was doing this to protect her family.

She slowly walked up the stairs to a run down looking apartment building. Pulling out a piece of paper with the number 14c written on it, she took a deep breath and followed the numbers until she found the one she was looking for.

Knocking on the door, a smile came to her face when she saw her oldest friend from high school answer.

"Took you long enough," the man said with a laugh.

"Well, Timmy. I figured I would take my time," Julia retorted.

Outside of her brother, Tim Speedle was Julia's best friend,. He was always there for her, even when it seemed as if everyone else had deserted her. He cared for her when no one else was capable of it.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come in and get comfortable. You still need to tell me what is going on," Tim closed the door and followed Julia into his small living room.

Julia realized that the inside of Speed's apartment looked better than the outside of the building itself. She could see little bits of his personality all over the place. There were pictures of his time in Miami including his friends there.

She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. Tim sat down beside her and rubbed her back as she began to cry. He wasn't sure what was going on in her life.

When his phone rang, Speed was surprised to hear the semi-frantic voice of his best friend. When she said she needed a place to stay and lay low, he had no problem offering up his spare room. She had given him her bed so many times during high school that he figured it was time he paid her back. In fact, it was just the thought of her needing him that made up his mind. Speed loved Julia but no in the conventional way. He would bend over backwards for her.

"I just don't know what to do now?" Julia's voice startled Tim out of his thoughts.

"Do about what?" Tim questioned.

Julia slowly began to explain the events of the last 24 hours to her friend. By the time she was done, she felt a little better.

"I don't know what to tell you. While you should go back and talk to them, your life is at risk if things are released. Have you talked to your dad yet?"

"No, but I'm sure Donnie already has. It would be like him to take the initiative to do that. But what if they can't figure things out?"

"Well, than you can stay here as long as you need to. I'm not going anywhere. And as long as your life is in danger, I am not letting you out of my sight."

Julia couldn't help but smile. Tim was always so protective of her when they were in high school. He always made she was taken care of.

* * *

Don and Danny drove to every spot they could think of to find Julia. Just as they were about to give up, Don's cellphone rang. He looked down at it and quickly answered it.

"Adam, what do you have?"

"I ran the credit card number you gave me and it's been inactive for months, maybe longer."

"What about the cell number?"

"I've triangulated the signal and its in New York but I can't get an exact spot. Now, since you called, she made one phone call. The only problem is, it is an unlisted number. I will keep trying but even the phone company won't give me the name. I promise to keep trying."

Don sighed and hung up his phone. He relayed all the information to Danny. He didn't think his sister knew anyone else who lived in New York. He knew of one person who used to live in New York but that person had died a few years ago. So now, he was playing worst-case scenario through his head. His cell began to ring again and he answered it without looking at the display.

"Julia?" He answered desperately.

"No, it's dad. I take it you haven't found her yet?" Sr. questioned.

"No," Jr. sighed. "All we know is that she is still in New York somewhere and with someone we don't know. We are driving around in circles trying to figure out what to do next but I don't know what to do anymore, dad. I'm at the end of my rope here. I just don't know what to do."

"Take a deep breath and calm down. The next thing you need to do is meet me at the precinct so that we can sit down with Taylor and the brass to figure out how to find her."

"NO," Jr. yelled. "They are the ones who caused her to run. They are the ones who don't care about her. She's just another witness to them." Don quickly hung up his phone without listening to his fathers answer

Danny looked over at his best friend and pulled the car over. He knew that Don was slowly breaking down. As he turned the car off, he felt a pair of eyes burning into the side of his head. He slowly turned to face Don.

"What are you doing? We need to find Julia before anyone else does!" Don yelled.

Danny took a deep breath and sighed. "I know we do. But at the same time, to be honest, I don't think we are. And if we can't find her, I don't think anyone else is going to. Trust me, I want to find her just as bad as you do. But we might not."

Don closed his eyes and thought about what Danny said. "I know but what if she is in trouble?"

"I don't think she is. If something happens, she'll call. Why don't we head back to your place and relax."

Don nodded. Danny started the car, turned around and headed back to Queens. The only thought in his head was that he hoped he was right and Julia was safe.


	10. Author's Note

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for sticking with me. I hate doing this type of thing, author's notes as chapters. Just wanted to let everyone know that I have changed my screen name but the stories are still the same. I hope to get a new chapter up for this in the next couple of weeks. I have been super busy with school and work.


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